Hilarious moment on the Panthers' bench: Coach Paul Maurice gives his assistant a solid hit

The Panthers' bench exploded with joy following Matthew Tkachuk's goal late in the third period, and even coach Paul Maurice could barely contain his excitement.

In a viral moment caught on camera, Coach Maurice expressed his joy in an unexpected way by hitting his assistant with considerable force.

Here are the images:

The assistant in question was obviously taken by surprise, and his reaction is hilarious.

The moment was obviously harmless, and the Panthers team had a good laugh about it afterwards, but it shows just how passionate everyone on the team is.

It's a beautiful story of redemption for Maurice and the Panthers players, who have worked hard against adversity to get to where they are today.

With a final series against Las Vegas or Dallas next week, only time will tell if they can keep up the momentum and write a new chapter in NHL history.

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